'Man and Superman' at the National Theatre, London

With his final show in the Lyttleton theatre, Nick Hytner presents Bernard Shaw’s witty and thought- provoking ‘Man and Superman’. Starring Ralph Fiennes, the plot lends itself to being a romantic- comedy but with the verbal gymnastics and philosophical debates the audience is treated to a production like no other.

The plot of the inevitable Ann and Tanner, alongside hidden lovers Violet and Hector, with the critical views of women, marriage and anything Shaw can lay his hands on seems like it should be unrelatable to a modern audience. However, the views and critical opinions seem more important and prominent than ever. By cutting the script so it discludes any wholly Victorian notions and attempting to make more of a balance between gender roles, we are rid of the unrelatable ideas and are exposed to Shaw’s intellectual arguments and thoughts. But Shaw never takes himself too seriously. Amongst Tanner’s motor- mouth and in-depth ideologies, the other characters keep Tanner relatable, and side with the audience, with comments about how much Tanner talks, showing Shaw to be mocking his own writing and intelligence. Often this provides a moment of relief for the audience after listening, developing ideas and following Tanner’s lengthy speeches.

There was never going to be any surprise in Ralph Fiennes’ capability in playing the discursive, demanding Jack Tanner. Fiennes metamorphosises into Tanner, presenting the audience with charm, intellect and persuasion as Shaw’s ideas roll off the tongue into the audience who understand every last word. Fiennes did not out-shine the rest of the cast though. He was equally matched with the passionate and assertive Ann Whitefield, played by the astounding Indira Varma, accompanied by motor- head Straker (Elliot Barnes- Worrell) and the soft- hearted artist Octavius Robinson (Ferdinand Kingsley). Perhaps the role that provided the audience with some, still witty, relief was Mendoza and The Devil, played by Tim McMullan whose recital of ‘Louisa’ certainly touched the hearts of the audience.

All this would be useless however if it weren’t’ for Simon God win’s direction. The contemporary setting brought the play to life and never felt forced or artificial. Accompanied with an incredibly competent technical team, the play has been re-born with a visually appealing set, video that reflect the writing and technical that enhances Shaw’s ideas. With each act the design team are presented with a new challenge, which they excel with, and I was especially overwhelmed by the perception of hell.

Quite honestly it’s hard to say a bad word about ‘Man and Superman’. The three hours and forty minutes, which a Victorian audience would have felt cheated by, passed me by in a flash and even days after seeing the play I am still creating and forming opinions. A true piece of theatre.

For tickets visit: http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/man-and-superman

SOLD OUT. Possible returns on the day.

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'Sister Act' by BA Musical Theatre Students from Guildford School of Acting at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford

Guildford School of Acting has done it again. ‘Sister Act’ is reintroduced to British audiences by the Third Year Musical Theatre students and, even after seeing it in the West End, I was blown away by the powerful, religious, glamour musical. Directed by Gary Lloyd, the audience is thrilled with the music of Alan Menken and Glen Slater and a witty, comedic script by Cheri Steinkellner and Bill Steinkellner, encapsulating us in this incredible world for one night.

The two leading ladies of this show are awe-inspiring. T’Shan Williams raises the roof from curtain up as the glamourised, fame-driven singer Deloris Van Cartier. Her progression of having the convent as protection, to changing the convent, to the convent changing her is a tough role to take on but, accompanied with a killer voice, the audience are engrossed by this commendable performance. Contrastingly, Kelly Hampson performs as the modest, composed and sharp Mother Superior and upholds possibly the hardest role in the show. She manages to hold the stage in less aesthetically pleasing but more tender and emotional moments of the musical; her solos capture the audience and lead to rapturous amounts of applause after. Beyond her rule driven ways, we see what is truly at the heart of Mother Superior; the tenderness and faith that come to the surface in a stunning final duet between the two unforgettable leads.

Accompanying the talented twosome is the superfluity of nuns who each bring a quirky, individuality to their roles. From the geek to the old granny, each cast member had their time to shine. These sassy party- dancing nuns kept going throughout whole show, adding life and comedy to the choreography of Gary Lloyd. Let us not forget Sister Mary Robert, played by Alisa Davidson, whose voice did not seem to shine at first but by Act Two the audience were left speechless with the power and drive she delivered in her solos.

Clearly the female characters outnumbered the male in this musical but we weren’t without the love interest, the bad guy and the comedy trio. Both Sam Aires and Runar Kristinn accurately portray their parts of ‘Sweaty’ Eddie and Curtis to the audience but, for me, the true stars of the male cast were Gareth Evans, Christopher Blackburn and Joe Henry as the comedy trio. At first we only catch glimpses of this ridiculous group, their eccentric physicality and timely lines but their song later in the show exposes the absurdity behind their characters and the audience are in fits of laughter within seconds.

Everything about this show was done with purpose and to an exceptionally high standard. Even the set quickly and effectively turned the backstreet, dull glamour into the beauty and serenity of a church. Although complicated, and a few minor change over mishaps, it was visually stunning to see such an intricately designed set.

From the back-up dancers in the opening number (how did they walk in those heels?!) that supported Deloris with cheek and power to the complex comedy chase scenes and the stereotyped musical theatre moments (because everyone just starts dancing in the streets with two second costume changes) made for this overwhelmingly, astonishing soul musical. The versatility of these young performers is staggering, especially after having seen all of them in either ‘The Addams Family’ or ‘Lift’, and I wish them the best of luck for the future. Not one audience members came out without a few dance moves and singing ‘Take Me to Heaven’ so I can tell you now you do not want to miss out on another of Guildford School of Acting shows.

Guildford School of Acting productions can be found at http://gsauk.org/shows/current-productions/

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Resolution! 2015: 'Niyizi', 'Projected' and 'The End Is Important in All Things' at The Place, London

Every year The Place hosts a festival for new choreographers and dancers to perform, develop and get feedback on their work. Each evening consists of a variety of three pieces and it is pot-luck as to what you get. This year, I look forward to seeing two more of Resolutions! shows throughout the time of the festival and am impressed by the show I have already seen.

Ishimoi by Ishimwa presents: Niyizi

Ishimoi by Ishimwa starts his piece hidden beneath a cloak, lying on the floor with a spotlight as the audience enters the auditorium, immediately capturing everyone’s interest. For more than ten minutes we listen to the babblings of Ishimoi in different languages, noises and through quotes all relating to his identity; setting up the piece for a further exploration of identity and how the events of his life have changed him. We did not see his face for the majority of the piece, enhancing the idea and confusion of his identity, but this idea was then abolished when we are we are presented with videos. My main criticism was that the excessive use of film and dialogue made the movements lose their meanings. We had already been given the information but required a development. At one point the sound effects and music created a catalyst for the movements, providing some interesting physical theatre and displaying Ishimoi’s clear talent for dance. However, I felt the piece needed a development since as a whole lacked the detail to have an impact on the audience.

Anders Duckworth presents: Projected

A fantasy is presented to the audience next, with two characters emerging from another world. Anders Duckworth choreographs an interesting piece that looks at the details of memories. Through contrasting mechcanicalised movement and fluid, natural dance we experience the change in the characters as they switch between being controlled by seeing their memories or living their reality. Jenna Broad and Eleni Papioannou confidently tackle this wacky concept providing swift comedic moments interchanged with the more serious and poignant sections. The lighting and projection enhances the concept of the piece, creating an obvious change in sections and character for the audience and projecting the memories of these two fantastical creatures on the back screen. I was impressed by this enchanting, mystical piece but felt that a few details needed clearing up; I spoke to numerous people who had no clue what was going on.

Suse Tietjen presents: The End is Important in All Things

The final piece of the evening revolves around the T. S. Eliot quote ‘What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from.’ We are presented with three relationships and how they are created and destructed. By cross- cutting between different stages, the audience focus on the contrasts in relationships; the distorted way love makes you feel portrayed by the low, twisted movements and manic movements showing panic when something goes wrong. Cleverly, the thoughts of each character remain focused in the bows at the end of the piece, leaving the audience with a lot to think about. The choreography by Suse Tietjen was interesting but didn’t entirely grip me, nor fulfill the potential of Amy Louise Cartwright, Joshua Gill, Lucie Gleeson, Ingrid Hatleskog, Erica Moshman and Kurt Nagy. Despite my own disappointment of the choreography, with a few tweaks or exploration of just one idea, I can see this piece being a hit in the future.

Performance on Thursday 8th January 2015.

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'Here Lies Love' at the National Theatre, London

Christening the National Theatre’s new theatre, the Dorfman, is Fatboy Slim and David Byrne’s musical ‘Here Lies Love’. Transferring from New York, the show advertises itself as ‘a revolutionary musical experience’ following the story of Imelda Marcos’ rise to power and her terrifying downfall. With a standing ticket in hand I entered the space and quickly realised that this was a musical that was not going to stop.

Lights blazing, strobes flashing; colour surrounds the audience right from the word go. The disco environment is obvious to those of us with promenade tickets and, other than being herded around by the vibrant staff in pink jumpsuits at inconvenient times, you really felt like you were part of the performance. Revolving platforms were used with purpose to creating different settings and mark important moments, effectively making the audience aware of key events. With a DJ on a platform in the corner and moments of choreographed dance with the cast, the unlikely setting worked well and showed the audience how easy it is to become seduced by the glamour.

The spectacular show of lighting and set was accompanied by some incredible special effects to add the final touches. From Marcos’ speeches being filmed around the audience to the feeling of a helicopter flying overhead, even the tiniest details had been thought about adding that extra element. Perhaps the most shocking moment of the show came with Aquino’s death. I saw a number of audience members throw a hand to their mouth in horror as everyone was jolted into a reality that was previously hidden behind the elegant speeches and stylish atmosphere, making the seriousness of the situation apparent.

The story of Imelda Marcos had its highs and lows. On the surface she is seduced by the beauty and attracted to the power but we also see the effect of infidelity, illness and her decent into a struggle that makes her dependent on pills. The part is carried effortlessly by the incredible Natalie Mendoza accompanied by Mark Bautista as Ferdinand Marcos and Dean John- Wilson as Ninoy Aquino, who contrast each other but their charm absorbs the audience. The whole cast endlessly ooze energy that lifts the production up and the killer vocals just add to their talent. All this mixed with Annie-B Parson’s unique and upbeat choreography left the audience wanting to be on stage with them.

By this point it sounds like this was the best musical I’ve ever seen. If you like repetitive music, then yes. The important story of corruption and power was lost amongst the glamour; it lacked moments for us to connect to the characters, to absorb the story, to actually feel. As I said at the beginning, it just didn’t stop moving until the final moments of the play where the bombardment of superficiality was stripped back and we were left with a beautiful acoustic final song. This added poignancy and meaning to the production and was quite honestly the only moment I was entirely absorbed. The story became the centre of attention and the rest of the production needed a few more moments like this.

As a whole the production was incredible. A massive round of applause has to go to the costume department; I don’t think I’ve ever counted so many costume changes! The set, lighting and even the story were put together to revolve around the disco theme, which they achieved. I can also imagine that it would work fantastically well in New York where you wouldn’t get the typical, self- conscious National Theatre audience members. For me, it lacked that emotional connection that was necessary, even if there were hints of it. A sold-out production for the Dorfman’s first show; clearly the good outweighs the bad in this instance.

Ends 8^th January 2015.

Sold-out but with £20 Friday Rush Tickets available.

http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/here-lies-love

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Top Shows of 2014

These are my top shows of 2014, some I have reviewed or mentioned, others I will have seen before I started this blog. Enjoy!

1.  ‘The Drowned Man: A Hollywood Fable’: Everyone who knows me would have already guessed that this would be my top show. It closed in July and I can still remember even the tiniest details. Every aspect of this show was incredible, immersing you into a beautifully twisted world. Four floors to wander round, over thirty characters to follow and you choose what you experience in this enchanting production. I don’t think I’ve ever felt as attached to a show as I do to this and I am longing to witness another Punchdrunk production.
2. ‘1984’: George Orwell’s classic story is brought to life, stunning everyone who watches this show. Although a long play, you are engrossed from the start and the direction produces a show perfectly echoing and enforcing Orwell’s themes and intentions. Manipulation, totalitarianism and control are just a few topics that influence and trigger intriguing questions onto the audience.
3. ‘The Believers’: One of Frantic Assembly’s less well-known shows but as always, the show was captivating. Exploring the contrasting beliefs and the dangers of having a closed mind, the performance and physical theatre was illuminated by the imaginative visual aspects. Definitely a thought-provoking piece of theatre I would see again.
4. ‘Medea’: My opinion on Greek Tragedy has been changed by this play. Previously I had never seen any Greek theatre; only studied or performed pieces. However, this encouraged me to go back and re-read plays, giving a new found love for Greek theatre. Although a horrific story, this production was incredible and affected me more than I imagined. Everything from the use of the chorus to the staging to the use of slow motion was incredible; I was more than impressed.
5. ‘The Addams Family’: A show by the 3^rd year Musical Theatre students at Guildford School of Acting that really should have been a full-scale production. Some of the most talented people I have ever seen perform, added with fantastic ideas, music and design made for a show I was so glad not to miss. These students will be doing shows throughout 2015 and I hope that the rest are as good as ‘The Addams Family’ and, the show performed by the other half of their year, ‘LIFT the Musical’.
6. ‘PUSH’: Sylvie Guillem performs her last ever show with Russell Maliphant. Each executes stunning solo sequences, bringing a revolutionary world of dance to the audience. Together, they create a seamless, compelling masterpiece that shows their skill and trust in each other. A last minute theatre trip that I wouldn’t have missed for the world. 

I couldn’t compare all the shows I saw at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival to the ones on this list but I know a few people who wanted to know my top picks. The top three shows I had the honour of seeing include ‘Victorian Vices- The Picture of Dorian Grey’, ‘No Belles’ and ‘Light’. Seeing the combination of Jamie MacDowell and Tom Thum bring their outstanding music talents to the stage also remains one of the highlights of the Fringe.

It’s been a good year for shows. Bring on 2015.

I'd love to hear your favourite shows of 2014 and any recommendations for 2015 in the comments!

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